About Us

Dee Izmail chair woman mother of KD victim Nadia

Our mission is to save lives by promoting prompt diagnosis and raising awareness of the classic symptoms of an infection that triggers the heart disease, the leading cause of pediatric heart conditions in the developing world.

The fund aims to raise money and awareness about Kawasaki Disease, which mainly affects children younger than five-years-old with symptoms including fevers, eye infections and rashes.

The founder is passionate about fighting the disease after doctors repeatedly failed to spot the symptoms in her daughter Nadia when she was only seven months old in 1993.

After a diagnosis and a full recovery three years later, the mother-daughter pair now fight the disease together with events such as the creative workshop.

Dee Izmail said: “People should come along if they have got creative skills they would like to express, it is a great opportunity for an open and professional workshop.”

What We Do

Founder Dee Izmail and her team work to get a better understanding of KD and spread knowledge through creative Campaigns and Events. Collaborating with potential sponsors in all sectors will help utilise extensive charity workspace in Essex & London with Partners who create new revenue streams and donations for the charity cause.

The team aims to support and gain updated research with specialists and research departments to develop awareness in communities.

Mission: To save lives and promote recovery in those who acquire heart disease (KD).

Values:

Healthy hearts. Saving lives.

Making an impact together through campaigns.

Updating research through Medical systems.

Empowered parents. Knowledge is our power!

Vision: We want to see more occurrences of early detection of symptoms, and the right treatment before problems occur in adult life. Together we will make it happen.

Support:
Parents, medical specialists, sponsors and the general public come together to support Kawasaki Fund’s vision. Every contribution makes a difference.

In 1993 Nadia showed 5 of 6 classic symptoms of KD when many GPs misdiagnoses were thought to be symptoms of Allergies and Virus. By day 11 Nadia presented all 6 classic symptoms of KD and reached the acute stage of the disease and had already developed 2 aneurysms to her coronary arteries.

Her alarmingly late diagnosis was identified by a South African nurse in the A&E waiting room who had previously seen the condition in his home town. Nadia was hospitalised and prescribed 10 days of Glamagobulin treatment to rebuild her immune system and high doses of Percentin/Asperin to keep her blood thin preventing possible cardiac arrest for a duration of 3 years.

Her mother, Dee Izmail began her journey with this Charity to spread awareness so that others would be diagnosed more promptly. Three years later Nadia was considered a ‘miracle baby’ having made a full recovery.

Nadia’s Story

I was one of the children to have been misdiagnosed before damage to my coronary arteries took place due to KD. Infants like me who develop KD at an age younger than 1 are usually the most seriously ill and at greatest risk of long-term heart problems. I was only seven months old. My condition was escalating at speed, and my parents were told that I had a common flu virus which could be cleared with antibiotics. My parents realised something was wrong when no recovery became evident. On our fourth visit to the paediatricians, it was then that a South African nurse happened to recognise the classic symptoms of KD having seen it in his home country. I was treated with immunoglobulin also called gamma globulin, a blood product containing antibodies, along with aspirin for two years.

If I remained undiagnosed I would have had heart disease in adult life and limitations to the things I do each day. The cause remains unknown. Researchers believe the disease may be an immune response to an acute infectious illness based in part on genetic susceptibilities. My aim is to continue to help promote awareness with my Mum and raise funds that will aid KD research.

Key Facts

Kawasaki Disease is also called Kawasaki Syndrome or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. The illness was first described in Japan by Dr Kawasaki in 1967. It is an illness mainly affecting children under five. It is characterised by inflammation of the blood vessels (‘vasculitis’) and in particular damages the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. About 1/3 of untreated children with KD suffer heart damage, making it the most common cause of heart disease acquired in childhood in many countries, including the UK.

The cause of KD remains unknown, but is believed to be due to an infection that all children get in early childhood and to which a minority of children react abnormally. There is good evidence to suggest that these children have an inherited predisposition to KD (and also to developing heart damage once they have KD). Projects therefore investigate the genes controlling the immune system that may be important in determining susceptibility and heart damage. This will tell us not only about the cause of KD, but may also help understand the basis of ischaemic heart disease in adults (heart attacks, angina etc).

KD is a model in which to study the role of infection in damaging blood vessels and developing atherosclerosis. Kawasaki Disease appears to run a triphasic course. The first phase is seen during the first 8-12 days and the child exhibits a fever with mouth and skin changes. The child appears acutely ill and may at this stage show signs of aseptic meningitis, loose stools and jaundice. Towards the end of this phase the child may show great improvement and existing symptoms may resolve. The sub-acute phase two occurs 6-10 weeks after onset of fever. This is characterised by peeling skin at the the hands and feet, mood changes, loss of appetite and possible cardiac and joint involvement. For children to be diagnosed as having the disease, other disorders that might mimic the condition must be excluded.

5/6 criteria must be satisfied:

Fever persisting over five days

Conjunctival eye infection

Changes in the mouth. Reddening and crusting of lips, diffuse or oropharyrn geal (redness in back of the mouth), erythematic (skin redness), strawberry tongue.

Changes in extremities of hands and feet, erythema of palms and toes, peeling of finger/toe tips (two weeks after fever onset), crosswise grooves across finger nails (two or three months after onset).

Technology and Tools We saw this and hope more doctors will make use of technology and tools like VisualDx so fewer cases of KD go misdiagnosed. This shows how difficult it can be for doctors to diagnose. “It’s one of those conditions where, if you’re not thinking of it, you’ll miss it. Doctors will say, ‘It’s a virus. It’ll pass’, but it’s one of the few conditions where kids can die of a major heart attack”.

More Support

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Our work helps to sustain our awareness strategies that aim to prevent complications in adult life. We also aim to gain sponsors and build resources for research in the near future. Many children are still being misdiagnosed and suffer due to lack of medical knowledge. Together we can save more hearts!

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Kawasaki Disease
Kawasaki is a rare vasculitis, which strikes children.
What causes Kawasaki disease?
There is no known cause of Kawasaki, but it is not contagious.

Who gets Kawasaki disease?
Children under the age of 11. 80% of patients are under the age of 5.

Symptoms?
Patients usually begin with a high fever lasting at least five days. Symptoms may include red eyes, lips, and mouth; rash; swollen and red hands and feet; and swollen lymph nodes. The disorder affects the mucus membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels, and the heart. The most important aspect of the disease is the heart’s involvement. The disease can cause inflammation of blood vessels in the coronary arteries, which can lead to aneurysms. Kawasaki is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.

How is Kawasaki disease diagnosed?
Diagnosis is usually based on evaluation of classic symptoms. Possible diagnostic tests include blood studies (complete blood count and blood sedimentation rate), electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, chest x-ray and urinalysis.

What is the prognosis?
With early recognition and treatment, full recovery can be expected. However, 2% of patients die from complications of coronary blood vessel inflammation. Patients who have had Kawasaki should have an echocardiogram every 1-2 years to screen for heart problems.

Treatment?
Immediate treatment is critical to avoid permanent damage to the coronary arteries and heart. Standard treatment includes high doses of Intravenous gamma globulin. The patient’s condition usually greatly improves within 24 hours of treatment.
Radiography (x-ray) of the chest may be used to look for changes in the aorta. Angiography or arteriography is used to help determine the location and appearance of vessels affected by the disease.